A few months ago, Google officially announced that it would consider Secure Socket Layers – more commonly known as SSL connections – as a search signal. Such a move fit perfectly with the search engine’s known appreciation for user experience. Long used by banks and online retailers, SSL connections are fast and encrypt any transfers of information (like passwords and credit card numbers) that take place between the website and a visitor.

This shift essentially told marketers that upgrading to SSL functionality would help them improve their search engine visibility, and bring more buyers to their doorstep as a result. That was incentive enough for a lot of businesses to make the plunge, but now there is an even more important reason to act.

SSL INDICATIONS ARE COMING TO GOOGLE CHROME

As we speak, Google’s engineers are in the process of upgrading the popular Chrome browser, which is estimated to have more than one billion users worldwide. Currently, it indicates SSL connections with a small blue “secure” marking. It’s visible, but easy to miss if you aren’t looking for.

At some point in the next few days, we are going to see changes that take this concept a little further. Namely, that websites asking for passwords and submissions without SSL connectivity are going to be marked as “insecure,” and could be meted with a warning prompt. Whereas marketers with secure hosting were being rewarded before, those who haven’t upgraded are going to be punished now.

That’s a subtle shift, but one that is likely to affect web traffic and lead generation in big ways. After all, those who aren’t in the online marketing industry might not pay a lot of attention to small colored boxes, but they will perk up if they are warned that particular website isn’t as safe as it could be. Just as importantly, it probably won’t be long before Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari, and other browsers follow suit.

HOW YOU CAN QUICKLY AND EASILY ADD SSL TO YOUR WEBSITE

If you’ve been waiting to add SSL connections to your small business website, or haven’t heeded our warnings in the past, now is the time to act. Luckily, there are a couple of easy and affordable ways to bring your site up to speed.

The first is to log into your web hosting account and upgrade your subscription package. You may have to pay a slightly higher fee, as SSL connectivity may not be available on the lowest tier of pricing. However, by improving your hosting package, you’ll also get a more reliable website.

A better way to integrate SSL to your website is by contacting us to discuss our SSL upgrade option. It’s a simple and cost-effective way to get the functionality you need while staying away from viruses, scams, and the other undesirable web “neighbors” you find on common shared hosting plans.

In 2017, there’s no excuse for going without SSL connections. Google demands it, and so are customers. Why not contact us today and see how easy it is to make an improvement that could bring you new business every week?